Fiona Bruce is loved by millions for her time on BBC’s famous teatime show Antiques Roadshow, which she has presented since 2008.
But the broadcaster has also fronted several other programmes that perhaps aren’t quite as family-friendly, such as CrimeWatch and Question Time. The journalist is used to asking the tough questions, grilling politicians and covering tricky topics in her career.
As the TV star celebrates her 60th birthday with a bang, Daily Star has dug up an unaired moment from Antiques Roadshow that the presenter said was “too cruel” to air.
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Despite working with some of the UK’s toughest characters, she has managed not to let her tense encounters to chip away at her empathy. The TV star recently recalled an Antiques Roadshow scene which has never made the airwaves that she claims would have made “great television”, but she deemed it “too cruel” to show.
(Image: BBC)
Speaking to The Guardian, she recalled an excited smartly-dressed man arrived to the set to present a glass bottle that he purchased for £1,000 at an antiques shop. But things soon took an awkward turn when the show’s glass expert examined the ‘antique’.
They told the owner: “I’m afraid it’s an empty olive oil bottle. Tesco, circa 2008. It’s worth nothing at all.” Fiona suggested that although the incident would have left viewers howling with laughter, it was too unfair on the man to air it.
(Image: BBC)
She pointed out: “I suppose we could have broadcast it – but it was just too cruel. The guy was devastated. There’s a tiny bit of my brain that realises it would have made great television.
“But it’s just not what the show’s about. Poor chap, poor chap. The thing is, if you come on the Roadshow we are not about to humiliate you. The thing about Antiques Roadshow is not to humiliate people.”
She also had a tense exchange with Lord Alan Sugar. Back in 2009, the brunette beauty followed the business tycoon around for a fly-on-the-wall documentary about his life.
(Image: BBC)
But things quickly took a turn for the worse when the pair discussed employers asking women about whether they plan on having children or not. Alan suggested that employers should be able to ask about employees about whether they want to have a family and their plans for childcare arrangements.
Fiona fumed: “I cannot tell you how insulted I would be if my employers said to me, ‘I just want to check what your childcare arrangements are’.” Alan said the answer would be: “My childcare arrangements are perfect, they’re fine” to which Fiona argued: “Well my answer would be, ‘It’s none of your business, actually’.”
(Image: BBC)
Recalling the heated exchange, Fiona later told Express.co.uk: “Alan Sugar letting rip in the confines of his private jet is quite something, I can tell you. I was asking him why women should have to declare their intentions to their employer about having children and he did get very angry – I got the hairdryer treatment.
“But what you saw on the programme was only the tail end of the argument because the battery went on the camera when he was at his angriest. He probably wondered why we never used it and it is one of the biggest regrets that I have to this day.”
But this wasn’t the only awkward exchange the broadcaster has had with some famous faces in the past. She also had a tense chat with the late Prince Philip, after interviewing him for his 90th birthday back in 2011.
(Image: BBC)
She described the Duke of Edinburgh as “spiky” and said it was clear that he didn’t want to be there.” When Fiona asked him if he felt he had been successful in his royal role, he replied: “I couldn’t care less. Who cares what I think about it, I mean it’s ridiculous.”
The presenter pushed the prince on his “slitty-eyes” comment about British students staying in China. He explained: “It has no effect in China if that’s what you’re worried about” and stated that he had completely “forgotten about it.”
Fiona later met the Queen’s husband again at the Jubilee Party at Buckingham Palace and appeared to see a different side to the senior royal. At the time she described him as “actually very cheery.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
